1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airway adapter which monitors the amounts of oxygen (O2) in the respiration of an individual, as well as the respiratory flow of the amount of one or more of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), or an anesthetic agent other than nitrous oxide in the respiration of the individual. More specifically, the present invention relates to an integrated airway adapter which is capable of monitoring, by luminescence quenching techniques, the fractions, or concentrations, of gases such as O2 in real time or breath-by-breath, as well as monitoring one or both of respiratory flow and, by infrared absorption techniques, the fractions, or concentrations, of gases such as CO2, N2O, and anesthetic agents.
2. Background of Related Art